Leaving the wheelhouse...

No sooner had I joined Venturer for the first time, than the heavens opened, the river went onto red boards and we cancelled two weeks of cruises! The rains were followed by fine weather and we set about painting Venturer for the season ahead. Wind the clock forward 13 years and sadly I am leaving when cruises are cancelled for a pandemic that none of us saw coming...... The constant over that time is the depth and breadth of support for the boat project and the activities it is delivering. I would like to record my sincere thanks to everyone for their contributions, their friendship and support.

Not so long ago someone said to me change happens if you don't and so I am moving on to a new challenge in a new location but a piece of my heart will always be on the river with the project. I hope that whilst my departure might leave a hole, there is an opportunity during the suspension of activities for reorganisation and renewal. The need for what the boat project does so well -  the provision of outdoor experiences and outdoor education - will be stronger than ever. There may have to be changes in how they are delivered and to whom, but I am sure the demand will be there together with a great team of volunteers happy to help. 

I will take with me plenty of happy memories - residentials always had the scope for long days and late nights starting with an early start to get to Windsor and a late finish with a night walk. I certainly won't forget that morning I spoke of earlier when we had three inches of rain in three hours. You could watch the river rising, it was happening so fast and yet the cruise back to Kingston was under blue sky and sunshine !!

I never imagined a second boat or an office by the river. Both have been positive changes that will lead to new opportunities. Discoverer opened the door to volunteer skippers and made a variety of cruises possible. I look forward to updates and returning to celebrate your continuing successes.

Peter Oldham


Welcome to the Wheelhouse

I'm delighted to say that we have moved quickly to fill at least part of the very big gap left by Peter's departure with the appointment (as a part-time employee) of Captain Gunnar Christensen as our Interim Boat Manager. There is a brief bio for him below. 

Gunnar's key responsibilities over the coming months will be the management, safety, upkeep and maintenance of Venturer and Discoverer, and, as he is a Teddington local, he will also be our on-call resource in the event of any emergencies (a role he is used to as senior lifeboat crew at Teddington!). 

I wish Gunnar all the very best in this new role.

Jon Chapman, Chair of Trustees


Captain Gunnar Christensen

Gunnar moved to Teddington in September 2016 when his wife was transferred from the States to work in the rare disease division at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals.
 
Gunnar started logging miles offshore at an early age with his father, travelling from New England to the Caribbean and back multiple times. A Bachelor of Science University degree didn’t diminish his love for the sea where he continued to log miles as a delivery skipper and one of Hinckley Yachts youngest captains.
 
Over the years he has been a project manager on multi-million dollar yacht projects and also worked on yachts and commercial vessels from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. These vessels ranged from 30m sailing yachts to 60m expedition yachts.
 
Before moving to the UK, Gunnar worked as the maritime fleet manager for LaFarge S.A. in its Caribbean base of operations. This job included multiple infrastructure projects in Haiti as well as equipment relocation logistics between the mainland USA and Haiti.
 
Since his move to the UK, Gunnar has learned the ways of the Thames, his work including two 30m Dutch barge re-fits and deliveries of yachts to the Medway. He has also worked as on-call second helm for the London tug Sanfiona.
 
Gunnar is a crew member at RNLI Teddington Lifeboat, which has allowed him to continue to learn the intricacies of the River Thames local to Teddington, as well as life-saving and other skills.


Update on events
 
We hope you are all still keeping safe and well. 

In the last Friends newsletter in April, we were hopeful that we might be back on the river in July and that some of our planned activities and events might restart. A lot has changed since then, and although there is some easing of restrictions, group activities are still not possible. Things are constantly evolving, and we are developing new ways to operate and to fundraise. We will keep you updated and ask for your help along the way.

We know that the benefits of time on the river will be all the more appreciated after the anxiety, stress and isolation that so many have been experiencing. Time on the river is hugely restorative for our emotional health and well-being. Special time on the river will be possible again and we all look forward to it very much.

Plans for possible activities July to September:

July 10th:           River Blessing with St Mary with St Alban church in Teddington. Thames Discoverer has taken part in the blessing service on the river by Teddington Lock for the last two years. Rev Joe Moffatt is planning to hold a service with reduced numbers which will be filmed on Friday 10^th July and then posted on the church website on Sunday 12^th July. It may be possible for Thames Discoverer to make an appearance on the river and for us to view “from a distance”. More details to follow .

August 15th:      Surbiton Farmers Market – we were due to have the charity stall at this popular community market. They are working on plans to re-open the market with a reduced number of stalls, in order to manage social distancing. We are waiting to hear whether we can be included. More info to follow.

September 6th:  Tidefest Event in partnership with The River Thames Society to celebrate the wonderful River Thames. Thames Discoverer has done some short cruises between Kew and Chiswick piers in previous years with Peter Finch giving a guided tour of river sights. This may still go ahead with reduced numbers. More details to follow.

Plans for possible activities October to December:     

Last year, we did our 30 years celebration sponsored walk along the towpath from Putney to Kingston and raised over £4,000 for RTBP. We are planning another RTBP sponsored activity and will let you know details. We may not reach the dizzy heights of Captain Tom, but any funds raised will make a difference!

November 6^th:    Bangers & Fireworks – we don’t want to miss this popular event, so provided The Lensbury are able to do the firework display, we will find a way to be on Thames Venturer and still be socially distanced!

December:         Mince pie morning cruises (2^nd & 9^th) and a mulled wine, mince pie and carol singing event on the boat (15^th) are planned. Hopefully by December, group activities will be more possible. We look forward to making plans and will keep you updated.

 
Education Update 
 

At the start of the summer term, we took advantage of the lovely sunny weather and filmed some educational videos on the deck of Thames Venturer (filming ably supported by Sophie's mum Janet, pictured here). We conducted the 'Water Survey' and 'Rocks and Soils' experiments that we would normally run for primary school children during our Schools on the River trips to give a “virtual” experience of being on the boat. We also produced an activity booklet which is adapted from the Eco Venturer programme. These have been circulated around the schools who would have been coming on the boat this term, on our website and amongst learning resource sites in order to keep children engaged with the river and the Boat Project until they can come back onboard.

We have been keeping in contact with local schools throughout this lockdown period and they are very eager to re-book their education days once it is possible to do so. It is looking hopeful that we may resume our education days in the Autumn term, but this is dependent on government guidelines. We are planning to adapt the Schools on the River and Eco Venturer programmes to reflect new health and safety measures such as social distancing.

We are conscious that many volunteers, including teachers, teaching assistants and education crew, have not had the chance to volunteer for quite some time now. Due to this, we will be scheduling training and refresher sessions for our volunteers, prior to activities restarting, and will include any health and safety adaptations made.

Hopefully we can get back on the river and welcome schools back onboard soon!
 
Sophie Owsianka, Education Coordinator
 

Focus on Sophie

Sophie Owsianka: Marine Biologist, Conservationist and Coastal Ecologist,
Ocean and Coral Lover, Dive Master, Windsurf and Dinghy Instructor

So runs Sophie’s Instagram description. Her surname, in case you were wondering, is pronounced ‘Ovshanka, it’s Polish’. She could hardly have joined RTBP at a time of greater turmoil, but phlegmatically she says that joining a new team at any time would have presented lots of new challenges.

She grew up and still lives locally, with childhood memories of cycling along the Thames. Summer holidays were spent in Greece with her windsurfing and scuba-diving parents.

Later came a degree in marine biology and coastal ecology at Plymouth, with a placement year split between Bonaire in the south-west Caribbean and Mauritius (nice one, Sophie). In Bonaire she learnt about growing coral fragments until they were large enough to be transplanted on to the reef. Swimming past a few weeks later to check on their rapid progress was hugely rewarding, especially after the doom and gloom of much of her degree. Then she took her research and skills to help set up one of the first coral farms in Mauritius, and also devised and presented a video about beach clean-ups.

Before joining RTBP she was involved with the Ocean Guardians campaign for plastic-free education, helping to produce a video on the problems of plastic pollution for primary school children (ring any bells?). She also volunteers as a community clean-up contractor for the Wandle Trust, supervising clean-ups along sections of the River Wandle in South London.

While other staff have been on furlough, Sophie has been holding the fort at the office, keeping in touch with schools and developing a video – a virtual experiment about investigating rocks and soils along the Thames (recommended viewing) – for children stuck at home during Lockdown. None of us knows how the months ahead will pan out, so Sophie has Plan A, Plan B, Plan C … up her sleeve on how to develop the education arm of our work.

She has also taken over volunteer rostering and crew training from Peter, and can now skipperThames Discoverer.  

Beyond RTBP Sophie likes mountain biking and cooking - a big roast dinner her favourite, especially Yorkshire puddings! - and will be spending her summer holidays teaching windsurfing and sailing at a sailing club near Heathrow.
 
Sarah Herrick, Office Volunteer



Fundraising News and Opportunities
 
Although April, May and June were challenging months, with everyone in lockdown and our boats out of action, we have positive news to share on grants and donations income.
We received: a grant of £5,000 from Richmond Parish Lands for cruises and education days; £7,500 from the Kaye Pemberton Trust for our education days; donations from other Trusts, individuals and organisations totalling just over £5,000 and a donation of £10,000 from a new funder introduced by a retired RTBP Trustee. We continue to be supported by the Waitrose Community Matters green tokens scheme. Across April, May and June, donations will be just over £1000. Thank you to Waitrose and an enormous thank you to Sarah Herrick for completing the many application forms!
 
Whilst it is difficult to do “group” fundraising activities, individual challenges work!  Many of you supported Peter in his French cycling event a few years ago. Nigel Williams followed this with his Palace to Palace cycling challenge in 2018. Nigel has been volunteering for RTBP for many years and wears multiple hats – volunteer skipper, crew, teaching assistant, helping at events. Peter has handed the cycling challenges over and Nigel is considering a challenge for 2021.

Kate Dodds, Marketing and Fundraising Manager


Supporting the local community
 
RTBP Friends and volunteers have been helping where they can, with PPE supplies and other support in the community. Pippa has been busy at her sewing machine, Dave Murray has been putting his 3D printer to good use and Kate Dodds has been doing some telephone befriending calls. Carter House Nursing Home, Lee House Residential Care, Mottistone Grove, Mencap, Castelnau Centre Project, and Ruils all wanted to share their thanks for the support. 
 

Memories of Rob Martin

                  

I have fond memories of when we were both asked to sell raffle tickets at the 30^th Birthday party at Tamesis Sailing Club last summer. We sold loads of tickets..…or at least Rob did (he was a born salesman), as I kept sliding off to chat to people. We seemed to have a similar sense of humour, and regularly wound each other up!!

He was a regular and enthusiastic volunteer at RTBP, and spent many days with the School On the River. He was extremely generous with his time; he was always thinking of others. For 30 years plus he worked tirelessly at the Rotary Club in Teddington and the Hamptons, and at the time of his death held the office of President.

What I remember most though is the laughs we had (sometimes at the expense of others), whether it was crewing together, or at the Fireworks evenings on Venturer, or at the other two Christmas suppers.

My overriding memory of Rob is when he, Peter and I had a day trip on my little river cruiser towards the end of last summer. It was a day I will never forget. We only ventured down to Shepperton (and the Red Lion pub) but we had so much fun. With the three of us in mischievous mood you can imagine what we got up to, and the least said about the “two stowaways” the better.

However, following a couple of operations his health deteriorated, and he was hospitalised for a while last summer. I used to visit him in St Peters, usually after a day on the Locks, and kept him amused with tales of the stupid things that some boaters get up to on the river. This was where I met his lovely family, or at his home following his discharge. Family was very important to Rob. On a couple of occasions I was at his home when his nurse visited to administer his medications, but even then we still managed to raise a few laughs. Shortly after he left hospital we met up at the Chertsey Agricultural Show on August Bank Holiday. It was the 176^th event, and I think Rob had been to most of them…..as I often teased him!!!!

His career was spent in agriculture and farming sales (apparently he was a champion tractor seller), and I know farming was dear to his heart. Speaking of which – Rob had a heart of gold. He was a lovely man, a gentleman, a kind, friendly, thoughtful sort of guy.

I will certainly miss Rob. No more pints at his local, no more car-sharing days on Venturer or Discoverer, or visits to Tamesis Sailing Club.

But Rob’s memory lives on. His son Patrick has asked that any donations in Rob’s memory to be made to RTBP, so his memory will continue to live on - on Venturer and Discoverer.

RIP dear friend.
MEMORIES DON’T FADE – THEY GROW

Terry Kemp, Volunteer Skipper